Low Protein Diet; Your child's low protein diet

1 Your child s low Protein diet _____ 16 Hamilton Health Sciences, 2010 PD 7184 07/2010 dpc/ dt/July 7, 2010 Notes _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ Your child s low Protein diet Children with certain metabolic disorders must restrict their intake of Protein . This handout will help you learn: why you must restrict your child s Protein intake which foods are lower in Protein and can be eaten in controlled amounts which foods have no Protein and are called free foods Your child s low Protein diet Your child s low Protein diet _____ _____ 2 15please turn over What is Protein ?

2 Protein is a nutrient found in food that is important for the growth and repair of our body. Protein is made up of chains of smaller parts called amino acids. Our body breaks down Protein into amino acids with the help of enzymes. Enzymes are also used to change one type of amino acid into another as needed by our body. Cambrooke Foods, LLC Mead Johnson Nutrition 4 Copeland Drive Corporate office: 1-847-832-2420 Ayer, MA 01432 Global Operations Center: 1-812-429-5000 1-866-4-LOW-PRO Nutrica Canada Vitaflo 4517 Dobrin Street 211 N Union Street Suite 100 St. Laurent, QC Alexandria, VA 22314 H4R 2L8 1-888-VITAFLO (1-888-848-2356) 1-877-636-2283 3. The dietitian on your metabolic health care team. Dietitian: _____ Contact: _____ Clinic: _____ Contact: _____ Remember: At first, providing your child a low Protein diet can be extremely overwhelming.

3 However, feeding your child will become easier as he or she grows older and you become more comfortable with the diet . Teach your child about the low Protein diet as soon as he or she is old enough to understand it. A low Protein diet is recommended for life, however the amount of Protein allowed may change as your child grows up. Your dietitian will let you know if the amount of Protein changes in your child s diet . Enzymes split the amino acids apart Amino Acids Individual amino acids Your child s low Protein diet Your child s low Protein diet _____ _____ 14 3 Low Protein Product Resources Cambrooke Foods Ener-G Foods, Inc. 4 Copeland Drive 5960 First Avenue South Ayer, MA 01432 Box 84487 1-866-4-LOW-PRO Seattle, WA 98124-5787 1-800-331-5222 Kingsmill Foods Co, Ltd.

4 Maddy s Low Protein Food 17-1399 Kennedy Road 1-800-605-0410 Toronto, Ontario M1P 2L6 416-755-1124 Med- diet Taste Connections 3600 Holly Lane, Suite 80 1-310-371-8861 Plymouth, MN 55447 1-800-633-3438 Medical Food Companies The following food companies have many resources on a variety of metabolic disorders: Abbott Nutrition Canada Applied Nutrition Corporation Box 6150 10 Saddle Road Station Centre-Ville Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927 Montreal, QC H3C 3K6 1-800-605-0410 1-800-361-7852 Why does your child need to follow a low Protein diet ? Your child has been diagnosed with a metabolic disorder that changes the way some amino acids are used in his or her body. Certain amino acids are able to build up in the blood and cause harm.

5 This is because an enzyme in your child s body is not working properly or is missing. It is important that your child restricts his or her Protein intake so these amino acids do not build up in the body. This will keep your child healthy. The amino acids build up like a traffic jam. Too much of this amino acid Not enough of this amino acid Your child s low Protein diet Your child s low Protein diet _____ _____ 4 13 What is a low Protein diet ? A low Protein diet is made up of foods that have very little Protein in them. To stay healthy, your child must: 1. Avoid high Protein foods including all: Meat and meat substitutes meat nuts peanut butter poultry eggs fish soy products such as tofu, miso and tempeh legumes (including chick peas, lentils, navy beans, fava beans, lima beans, red kidney beans, black-eyed peas, and black beans) Dairy products milk cheese cream yogurt ice cream soy milk and soy cheese Note: Another source of certain amino acids is the sweetener "aspartame".

6 Depending on the condition your child has, aspartame may need to be avoided. Ask your dietitian if your child needs to avoid this chemical. 2. Drink specialized Protein formulas that have certain amino acids removed from them. These specialized formulas are "custom made" for your child's metabolic disorder and provide enough Protein to keep your child healthy without causing harm. If it is needed, your metabolic health care team will prescribe formula for your child. 3. Eat only foods that are low in Protein . This includes special low Protein foods that may be recommended by your dietitian. 2. Cookbooks/Web-sites/Food Companies Cookbooks Apples to Zucchini: A Collection of Favorite Low Protein Recipes (2005) by Virginia Schuett and Dorothy Corry.

7 1-800-365-7534 Low Protein Cookery for PKU, Third Edition (1997) by Virginia Schuett. The University of Madison Press, Madison, WI, USA. Low Protein Cuisine (1990) by C. Lormier. Glendale Heights, IL, USA. Websites Cook for Love at: Contains low Protein recipes. The Canadian Nutrient File. Available through Health Canada at: Contains nutrient values (including Protein ) of Canadian foods. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Nutrient Database at: Your child s low Protein diet Your child s low Protein diet _____ _____ 12 5 Where can I get more information about the amount of Protein in food? 1. Nutrition Facts table The Nutrition Facts label is the best place to see how much Protein is in a food product.

8 The Nutrition Facts table is usually found on the side or back of a package. Many facts are listed including calories, fat, carbohydrate, and Protein . Pay attention to the Protein and the serving size. This will tell you how much Protein is in one serving. Nutrition Facts Per 2 cookies (24 g) % Daily Value Amount Calories 120 Fat 5 g 8% Saturated g + Trans 0 g Cholesterol 0 mg 0% Sodium 95 mg 4% Carbohydrate 17 g 6% Fibre 1 g 4% Sugars 9 g Protein 1 g Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 0% Iron 8% Tip.

9 Even if a label states that a food contains 0 grams of Protein , there may be Protein in the food. This 0 may be a rounded number and the product may contain up to grams of Protein . Be sure to check the label for high Protein ingredients or speak to your dietitian. Which foods are lower in Protein ? starchy foods such as potatoes and pasta fruits vegetables special low Protein foods Your child is able to eat these foods in controlled amounts. How much starchy foods, fruits, vegetables, and special low Protein foods is my child allowed to have? Your child should eat no more than _____ grams of Protein each day. Use the lists on pages 6, 7 and 8 to find out the amount of Protein in common starchy foods, vegetables and fruits.

10 Your dietitian will provide information on the amount of Protein in special low Protein foods and where to buy them. Serving size: In this example, 1 serving is 2 cookies Amount of Protein in one serving: In this example there is 1 gram of Protein in 2 cookies or grams in 1 cookie. Your child s low Protein diet Your child s low Protein diet _____ _____ 6 11 Low Protein foods Starchy foods Amount of Protein (in grams) Serving size (in grams)* Approximate household measure** Chocolate chip cookies 10 1 piece Corn, cooked (whole kernel) 20 2 tablespoons Cream of wheat, instant 30 2 tablespoons Egg noodles, cooked 20 2 tablespoons Flour, cake and all purpose 18 2 tablespoons French fries, fast food 4 1 piece Macaroni, cooked 18 2 tablespoons Popcorn, butter, popped 3 1/4 cup Potatoes, boiled, mashed, with or without skin 20 2 tablespoons Potato chips (2 inch diameter)